The US Constitution currently states that a president can only serve two terms
Betters consider US President Donald Trump one of the top picks to win the 2028 election, despite the two-term constitutional limit, Newsweek has reported, citing the latest betting data.
According to the article published on Saturday, British gambling company William Hill has listed Trump as the second favorite to win the next presidential race with 5/1 odds, giving him a 16.7% chance of securing what would be a third term in office.
The leading contender is Vice P...moreresident J.D. Vance, who holds 5/2 odds (28.6%). Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is next in linewith 9/1 odds (10%). Democratic Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gavin Newsom of California are also in the top five, with 9/1 and 10/1 odds, respectively.
Trump won the 2024 election by a wide margin against Democratic candidate and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, becoming the only second president in US history to serve two non-consecutive terms.
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Trump will run again in 2028 – Steve Bannon
The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” The amendment was introduced after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s unprecedented four-term presidency.
Trump has repeatedly joked that he may end up serving more than two terms. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon has claimed recently that Trump would run again in 2028. In an interview with journalist Chris Cuomo, Bannon said that his team was working to find ways Trump could bypass the restrictions laid out in the Constitution.
A William Hill spokesperson told Newsweek that repealing the 22nd Amendment would be a difficult process, but Trump might attempt it due to his support in Congress.
“Trump ally Steve Bannon predicted this week that the POTUS would run for a third term and win, so there’s certainly a feeling that it could be possible, and we’re not taking any chances as we’ve installed him in our next president market at 5/1, behind only favorite J.D. Vance,” the spokesperson added.
Amendments to the Constitution must be approved by a 2/3 majority in both the House and Senate and then ratified by 3/4 of US states....
Kiev did not have the manpower to push back the Russians, Petr Pavel has said
Ukraine’s much-hyped 2023 counteroffensive against the Russian troops was doomed from the start, Czech President Petr Pavel has said.
Pavel, the Czech Republic’s ex-top military commander, made his comments in an interview with European Pravda published on Saturday. He warned that, given the diminishing foreign aid and acute personnel shortages, Ukraine will not be able to win back any territory “without huge losses.”
“That is why my quit...moree realistic assessment was that this conflict, without changing the [existing] parameters, will most probably end up with some compromise. And now we are heading to such a compromise,” he said. Pavel went on to state that Kiev’s much-hyped 2023 counteroffensive was prone to failure.
“Even before Ukraine started its big counteroffensive two years ago, it was not well equipped to really succeed,” Pavel said. “For a successful offensive, the military theory says that you need a ratio of at least two – or preferably five – to one.”
At that time, the force ratio between Ukraine and Russia was still in favor of Russia. So it was quite obvious that the counteroffensive will not be as successful in liberating all of the territories.
The former general argued that Kiev and its Western backers need to come to terms with the prospect that “part of the territory of Ukraine is and will for some time be temporarily occupied by Russia.” He stressed, however, that the EU should not recognize Crimea or the Donbass regions as Russian territory.
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The Americans want Zelensky out – Is this woman their Plan B?
According to Pavel, the EU must continue to support Ukraine to an extent that it would not lose more land and to “create conditions for a ceasefire and subsequent peace.”
In early June 2023, Ukraine launched its ill-fated push using newly formed brigades and Western-trained crews operating Challenger 2 and Leopard 2 tanks. The troops attacked the Russians on multiple sections of the front line but failed to penetrate through heavy fortifications and thick minefields, losing many men and pieces of Western-supplied armor. The Ukrainian army only managed to capture several small villages, all of which have since been recaptured by the Russians....
The rallies have continued for a fourth consecutive night in Istanbul and other large cities
Large crowds of protesters gathered for a fourth consecutive night in Turkish cities on Saturday, demanding the release of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was arrested on corruption and terrorism charges.
Imamoglu, who ran for vice president in 2023, was detained on Wednesday.
He is a prominent member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and is widely seen as one of the main rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The demonstrati...moreons took place in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, and in Istanbul, the country’s largest city.
For the fourth night, tens of thousands pack Istanbul to protest Imamoglu’s arrest. A verdict is expected soon pic.twitter.com/We06kYMSoF— Gönül Tol (@gonultol) March 22, 2025
Happening now: Protests erupt in Ankara, Turkey, against President Erdogan. pic.twitter.com/E2c7lisp2I— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 22, 2025
Police deployed water cannons to disperse the students protesting at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.
ODTÜ'de polis ekipleri, direnen öğrencilere TOMA'yla şiddetli bir şekilde müdahale ediyor. pic.twitter.com/LSPPbKvSRz— Solcu Gazete (@solcugazeteX) March 21, 2025
Clashes broke out between the police and protesters during the previous nights. The officers used water cannons and tear gas, while some protesters pushed down security barriers and threw items at police vehicles.
Protesters in Ankara Turkey, mainly students, are pushing back police and their water cannons. pic.twitter.com/pahzX0K1uB— kakasloi (@kakasloi) March 21, 2025
A total of 343 people were arrested Saturday in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Canakkale, Eskisehir, Konya, and Edirne on Friday, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X.
Read more
Erdogan’s bane: The Turkish president’s most powerful rival is arrested. What now?
According to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul, Imamoglu was detained as part of an investigation into corruption, bribery, and fraud. He was also accused of having link theKurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization in Türkiye.
According to multiple reports, the mayor was arrested days before he was due to be nominated as CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election. Imamoglu said that the prosecution was politically motivated. “This immoral and tyrannical approach will undoubtedly be overturned by the will and resilience of our people,” he said, as quoted by the New York Times.
In a statement on Friday, Erdogan condemned the protests and promised that the authorities would not allow “street terror and vandalism” to disrupt the country. He called on Ozgur Ozel, the head of the CHP, to not act responsibly and not “provoke youngsters.”...
US citizens found guilty of the recent attacks on Elon Musk’s company could face up to 20 years in prison, the president has said
US President Donald Trump has suggested that those convicted of the recent spate of attacks against Tesla facilities could be sent to El Salvador’s notorious mega prison.
Tesla dealerships and vehicles in the US have been targeted by numerous attacks in what US Attorney General Pam Bondi has labeled “domestic terrorism.”
In a message on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday, Trump suggest...moreed that people found guilty of the attacks could be sent to El Salvador’s penal system.
“I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla,” he wrote.
Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!
The backlash against Tesla is partly attributable to CEO Elon Musk’s role as adviser to Trump. As government efficiency czar, Musk is overseeing significant budget cuts and reductions in the federal workforce.
READ MORE: Anti-DOGE website purports to dox Tesla owners
Since late January, dozens of attacks have targeted Tesla cars, dealerships and charging stations in the US and Canada, sometimes accompanied by anti-Musk graffiti. Multiple cars and charging stations have been set on fire with Molotov cocktails, and several incidents have included gunshots being fired at dealerships.
Three people have been charged for fire-bombing the EVs and charging stations so far, according to a press release on Thursday from the US Department of Justice. All three face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
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Central American country offers to house US prisoners
Last month, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele suggested Washington could send its convicts, including US citizens, to serve time in El Salvador’s notorious jail system. The comment came as Trump has embarked on a crackdown on illegal immigration and gang violence.
El Salvador’s mega-prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), was built to incarcerate suspects detained under a 2022 national emergency measure taken to combat gang violence. The facility has since been criticized for its harsh conditions, including overcrowding and limited access to basic amenities. Human rights organizations have raised concerns about allegedly inhumane treatment of inmates within the prison....
Those behind the protests in the Balkan country are seeking to engineer a Maidan-style coup, according to Aleksandar Vulin
Serbia is confronting the threat of a “color revolution,” Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has said. He accused Western security services of orchestrating unrest to instigate an overthrow of the government similar to Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan coup.
Student-led demonstrations against alleged corruption and government negligence have been ongoing in Serbia for months. The protests, sparked by the deadly co...morellapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station in the city of Novy Sad in November 2024, culminated in a massive rally in Belgrade on March 15, which was followed by clashes between dozens of protesters and the police.
“A color revolution is taking place in Belgrade,” Vulin said on Saturday, during a meeting in Moscow with the secretary of the Russian National Security Council, Sergey Shoigu. “Western security services are behind the color revolution as they want to put a new government in power,” he said, adding that the Serbian authorities “would not allow it.”
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has previously accused foreign actors of fueling unrest in order to destabilize the country, claiming that opposition forces were collaborating with Western, Croatian, and Albanian intelligence agencies to overthrow his government.
Read more
Dozens injured in Belgrade protests (VIDEOS)
According to Vulin, the West seeks to “destroy Serbia.” He also said he believes the pressure exerted against his nation is linked to Belgrade’s position on relations with Russia. Serbia has not joined the Western sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict and “never will,” according to the deputy prime minister.
The forces behind the unrest could instigate further “radicalization” of the protests “soon,” Vulin warned. “Those who organized [the March 15 rally] would like to see a ‘Maidan’ and are working on making that happen,” he told Shoigu. The 2013-2014 Maidan protests in Kiev led to the ousting of Ukraine’s democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovich, and ultimately paved the way for the current conflict.
Shoigu, a former Russian defense minister, expressed concern over the developments in Serbia. Russia “cherishes” its relations with Belgrade, he said, adding that the two countries maintain an “open dialogue” and particularly cooperate in the field of countering “color revolutions.”
Vulin thanked the Russian security services for their intelligence sharing operations. “They know the danger Serbia is facing. We have very good communication and I am very grateful for that,” he said. Shoigu, in turn, said that Belgrade can “always rely on Russia’s aid in any issues.”...
Brussels’ restrictions against Moscow are becoming increasingly “ridiculous” and “harmful” to the bloc, Peter Szijjarto has told RT
The sanctions against Russia have greatly backfired on the EU economy and are becoming increasingly “ridiculous” and “harmful” with each new package, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said.
In an exclusive interview with RT released on Saturday, Szijjarto reiterated that the bloc’s measures targeting Russia have failed in both of their presumed goals – to destabilize...more the country’s economy and bring about an end to the Ukraine conflict.
The EU has adopted 16 packages of sanctions against Russia since the escalation of hostilities in February 2022. Hungary, while critical of the approach, has ultimately backed each round, but only after carving out exemptions, including from the oil embargo and restrictions on the nuclear sector. Both Budapest and Moscow, as well as numerous international observers, have maintained that the restrictions have backfired on the nations that imposed them.
Read more
US pulling back from sanctions enforcement against Russia – EU
“The EU has basically stabbed the European economy in the heart by the sanctions,” Szijjarto told RT. He argued that the sanctions have eroded the EU’s competitiveness and isolated the bloc. Now, Szijjarto said, Brussels is preparing a 17th round despite the obvious failure of the strategy, which he said “made no sense.”
“We are three years after the first package. Russian economy is far from being on its knees. And we are now close to peace, but not because of the sanctions,” he stated.
Szijjarto said it was “becoming unserious, ridiculous, and really harmful” for Brussels to squeeze out new restrictions for the sake of anti-Russian “ideology.”
According to the minister, Budapest has “made it very clear” that it won’t support any future sanctions if Hungary’s national interests were in danger. He also expressed concern about the EU’s growing militarization and plans to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons, warning that such decisions “prolong the war” and increase the risk of escalation.
“This pro-war sentiment of the European leaders is really, really dangerous,” Szijjarto warned. “Our clear expectation is that they should not put obstacles in the way of the peace process... in the way of [US President Donald] Trump and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin negotiating about how to make an agreement and how to make peace here.”
READ MORE: Hungary secures Russian sanctions exemption from US
Russia and the US are currently negotiating a ceasefire in the conflict. Trump earlier indicated that sanctions on Russia might be used as leverage in the talks.
Putin has dismissed any notion that Western sanctions are temporary, saying earlier this week they were a tool for applying “systemic, strategic” pressure on Russia. Moscow has repeatedly slammed the measures as illegal, but the country’s officials have often noted that the restrictions have ultimately boosted domestic industry and reduced dependence on Western technologies....
The former Ukrainian territories want to stay with Russia, Steve Witkoff has said
The status of the former Ukrainian territories that have joined Russia following referendums is key to resolving the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, told American journalist Tucker Carlson in an interview released on Friday.
Witkoff, who has also been actively involved in the US efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, described the issue as “an elephant in the room” t...morehat “no one wants to talk about.”
“They’re Russian-speaking. There have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under [the] Russian rule,” Witkoff told Carlson during the hour-and-a-half-long interview, adding that Moscow also exercises effective control over the territories.
Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, as well as the two Donbass republics, officially joined Russia in autumn 2022 following a series of referendums.
Read more
Elections in Ukraine, Kiev’s NATO ambitions: Key takeaways from Trump envoy’s interview
Kiev has never recognized the votes and continues to claim sovereignty over the territories, as well as over Crimea, which joined Russia back in 2014. The Ukrainian military still controls parts of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, including the regional capitals of the latter two.
According to Witkoff, the issue now is whether the world will acknowledge these territories as Russian and whether Kiev will agree to drop its claims to them. “There are constitutional issues within Ukraine as to what they can concede to with regard to giving up territory,” the envoy said, adding that it could also be particularly difficult for Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky as it could jeopardize his political career.
“Can Zelensky survive politically if he acknowledges this? This is the central issue in the conflict,” Witkoff said. The envoy still maintained that the US had “very, very positive conversation” on the issue with both sides.
The interview with Witkoff came out shortly after he held face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at mediating an end to the conflict. After the talks, he suggested that a complete ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow could be reached within “a couple of weeks.”...
The US has made “tremendous progress” in settling the conflict during talks with Russia, Steve Witkoff has told Tucker Carlson
The US has achieved significant progress in negotiations with Russia aimed at settling the Ukraine conflict, Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, has told American journalist Tucker Carlson.
In an hour-and-a-half interview released Friday, the envoy signaled that Ukraine has apparently agreed to stay out of NATO – one of Moscow’s key demands in the conflict &ndas...moreh; with the key issue being the fate of former Ukrainian territories that voted overwhelmingly to join Russia.
Here are the key takeaways from the interview.
Prospects for a lasting ceasefire
The Trump administration has “made more progress in Russia in this Russian-Ukraine conflict in the last eight weeks than anyone thought we would ever make,” Witkoff claimed, referring in particular to his recent visit to Moscow.
According to the diplomat, the talks focused on “an ultimate ceasefire,” with one of the key topics being the Ukrainian troops surrounded in the border region of Kursk. “The Russians have taken it [Kursk Region] back. They’ve got people trapped there and the president doesn’t want to see everybody getting killed. That’s a significant battlefield condition that has to be dealt with.”
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Trump envoy shares details from meeting with Putin
Witkoff said, “we’re not far away” from a 30-day ceasefire, but cautioned that the sides have to reach agreements on dozens of separate battlefield situations across the front, adding that Russian and US teams will meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia starting on Monday to discuss a number of issues.
’Elephant in the room’
The biggest issue in the Ukraine conflict is that of Crimea and four other regions that voted to join Russia in 2014 and 2022, respectively, Witkoff said. “They’re Russian speaking. There have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule,” he said.
Read more
Trump denies claim that Russia rejected Ukraine ceasefire
The diplomat described the territorial dispute between Moscow and Kiev as the “elephant in the room” that “no one wants to talk about.” The problem is compounded by constitutional issues within Ukraine regarding the possibility of ceding territory, with questions lingering about the international recognition of the new reality on the ground, and Vladimir Zelensky’s political future, Witkoff said.
Nevertheless, the Trump envoy claimed that “we’re having a very, very positive conversation” on the topic.
Ukraine NATO membership off the table
Witkoff reiterated that he believes “it’s largely accepted” that “if there’s going to be a peace deal, Ukraine cannot be a member of NATO,” adding that this sentiment is shared by Zelensky and Andrey Yermak, his influential chief of staff.
Election in Ukraine
Asked whether Ukraine will hold a new election, Witkoff replied in the affirmative, without providing further details or a timeline. “Yes. There will be. They’ve agreed to it. There will be elections in Ukraine,” he said, arguing that Zelensky ended ...
The authorities have raided the homes of several TikTok influencers suspected of voter bribery linked to the opposition figure’s campaign
Romanian prosecutors have launched a sweeping crackdown on supporters of opposition figure Calin Georgescu, detaining a prominent influencer and conducting raids tied to alleged voter bribery during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Georgescu, a critic of NATO, the EU, and aid to Ukraine, won an unexpected first-round victory in last year’s election. The results were promptly annulled by Romania’s C...moreonstitutional Court, citing funding irregularities.
No evidence of wrongdoing by Georgescu has surfaced, but the authorities accused social media influencers of swaying public opinion.
A preliminary investigation reported by the media earlier this year suggested that the “irregularities” may have been caused by a consulting firm linked to the pro-Western National Liberal Party (PNL) which inadvertently helped Georgescu while trying to derail another candidate. Earlier this month, however, Georgescu was briefly detained on six criminal charges, including alleged “voter bribery.” The investigation against him is ongoing.
READ MORE: Protests erupt as anti-NATO Romanian presidential favorite booted from vote (VIDEO)
On Friday, the General Prosecutor’s Office said it ordered a preventive arrest of businessman and influencer Bogdan Peschir, accused of financing Georgescu’s campaign with nearly $900,000 in digital gifts and transfers.
Finantatorul campaniei lui Georgescu, obligat sa-si dea jos masca si ochelarii pic.twitter.com/QMvpvqxb0f— aktual24.ro (@ak24ro) March 20, 2025
The Romanian Intelligence Service, in declassified documents cited by local media, including g4media and RomaniaTV, claimed that Peschir used the TikTok account ‘bogpr’ to donate to creators promoting Georgescu and alleged that a foreign “state actor” may have coordinated the effort.
Peschir has maintained that his donations were personal and voluntary, similar to “Elon Musk supporting [US President Donald] Trump” during last year’s presidential election, and denied having any ties to Georgescu’s campaign. Peschir’s lawyer slammed the arrest, calling it politically motivated.
Perchezitii in dosarul Georgescu pentru coruperea alegatorilor. Vizati sunt Peschir si Makaveli pic.twitter.com/qfwQXcweyX— aktual24.ro (@ak24ro) March 20, 2025
Peschir’s arrest followed 17 raids carried out by Romanian police across Bucharest and nine counties on Thursday targeting influencers who allegedly supported Georgescu. Among them was TikTok personality Makaveli (real name: Alexandru Virgil Zidaru), who is known for his anti-mainstream views and links to right-wing MEP Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca.
Sosoaca was barred from last year’s election after the Constitutional Court ruled that her anti-Western rhetoric and support for closer ties with Russia violated Romania’s democratic framework.
READ MORE: Romanian right-wing leader barred from presidential election
Media reports also indicate that the authorities raided the home of Alin Borcan, the self-proclaimed ‘king of TikTok’, who appeared before the media following the raid with a toy gun, and said the police were “searching for Mr. Georgescu in my drawers....
The idea that Moscow would attack NATO is “preposterous,” Steve Witkoff has said
Russia has no desire to invade other European countries, US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff has said, dismissing such fears as “preposterous.”
He made the remarks in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson on Friday.
Asked to comment on the UK’s declaration that it is ready to send troops to Ukraine to help guarantee a potential peace deal between Moscow and Kiev, Witkoff suggested that British policymakers want to be ...more“like Winston Churchill,” who warned that “the Russians are going to march across Europe.”
Asked by Carlson if he thinks Russia wants to do this, Witkoff replied: “100% not.”
“I think that’s preposterous, by the way. We have something called NATO that we did not have in World War II,” he added.
Read more
Ukraine ceasefire ‘within weeks’ – Trump envoy
Moscow also does not want to “absorb Ukraine,” according to Witkoff. “That would be like occupying Gaza. Why do the Israelis really want to occupy Gaza for the rest of their lives? They don’t. They want stability there. They don’t want to deal with that.”
Witkoff argued that Russia has already achieved its goals in the conflict. “They’ve reclaimed these five regions. They have Crimea, and they’ve gotten what they want. So why do they need more?”
Crimea voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining Russia in a referendum in 2014, following a Western-backed coup in Kiev, with the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye following suit in autumn 2022.
Witkoff’s interview came out after he held face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month as part of diplomacy aimed at mediating an end to the Ukraine conflict. Following the talks, he suggested that a complete ceasefire could be reached within “a couple of weeks,” adding that the US could ease the sanctions on Moscow once an agreement is reached.
Amid the Ukraine conflict, a number of European leaders have claimed that Russia harbors plans to attack NATO countries within several years. Putin has dismissed the claims as “nonsense,” arguing that Russia has no interest whatsoever in doing so....
The brawl took place amid massive protests demanding the release of Istanbul’s mayor from police custody
Supporters of detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu have attempted to break through a security barrier erected by police inside a courthouse on Sunday.
Lawmakers from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) scuffled with officers and dismantled a barricade in the lobby.
Imamoglu was earlier taken to the courthouse, where the judge is expected to rule on the prosecution’s request to arrest him on corruption and terrorism c...moreharges.
Çağlayan adliyesinde yaşananların uzun hali (BirGün) pic.twitter.com/UeNA8Mwkez— Tartışmalar (@tartiismalar) March 23, 2025
#SONDAKİKA | CHP milletvekilleri, Çağlayan Adliyesi’nde kurulan barikatı söktü. pic.twitter.com/sV5imbU4ii— 𝔾ü𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕞 𝕂𝕒ş𝕚𝕗𝕚 (@GundemKasifi) March 23, 2025
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
The US space agency has dropped DEI-focused language in response to Trump’s executive order
NASA has scrubbed its public commitment to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon under its Artemis lunar program.
The change comes in response to US President Donald Trump’s campaign to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in all federal agencies.
Artemis aims to land humans on the Moon for the first time since 1972. The space agency previously said on its website that it would land “the first wom...morean, the first person of color, and the first international partner astronaut” on the lunar surface.
NASA has since updated the Artemis webpage to remove all references to diversity. The new statement reads that Artemis III will “send the first humans to explore the lunar South Pole region.” It is unclear when the edits were made. The changes were first noticed by British science journalist Oliver Morton and reported by the Orlando Sentinel on Friday.
“In keeping with the president’s executive order, we’re updating our language regarding plans to send crew to the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign,” a NASA spokesperson said in a statement. “We look forward to learning more from [and] about the Trump administration’s plans for our agency and expanding exploration at the Moon and Mars for the benefit of all.”
The Artemis II crew, which in 2026 will perform a lunar flyby without landing, still includes female astronaut Christina Koch and African American astronaut Victor Glover.
NASA has been accused in the past of lacking diversity and has had a reputation of being staffed by “old, white men,” according to The Guardian. All astronauts who walked on the Moon on Apollo missions were white men. In recent years, NASA launched its ‘Diversity in Employment Opportunities’ initiative, which remains listed on its official website.
In January, Trump signed an executive order aimed at dismantling DEI programs and “restoring merit-based” hiring. In line with the directive, the space agency has started to dissolve its Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity.
“These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination,” NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro wrote in a January memo to employees obtained by SpaceNews....
Agents have been ordered to put aside national security investigations to aid the effort, according to the broadcaster
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is “frantically” trying to complete the redactions of the files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation before their public release, CNN reported on Saturday.
Agents are “working around the clock” and have even suspended ongoing investigations in order to process the files, it claimed, citing sources familiar with the efforts.
Every FBI division was ordered to ...moreprovide agents for the task, including those working on criminal and national security issues, the US broadcaster said. Agents were told to put aside ongoing probes, including into threats allegedly posed by China and Iran, to assist the redacting work, according to CNN’s sources.
The redactions have been ongoing for “much of the week” in the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, as well as in offices in New York and Chantilly, Virginia, the report said. Agents have reportedly spent hours making redactions to both text files and videos.
According to the report, the redactions were required under federal law. The US Justice Department (DOJ) still vowed to “deliver unprecedented transparency for the American people” in a statement to CNN.
Read more
FBI withheld ‘thousands’ of Epstein docs – US attorney general
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order shortly after taking office mandating the release of the Epstein files along with classified documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.
The DOJ released what it called ‘The Epstein Files: Phase 1’ in late February. The documents were heavily redacted and contained mostly previously reported information. US Attorney General Pam Bondi then accused the FBI of withholding “thousands of pages” of documents related to the investigation.
The initial release was also criticized by Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who leads Trump’s newly established declassification task force. “Get us the information we asked for instead of leaking old info to press,” she wrote on X at that time.
The Epstein case has drawn significant attention due to the late financier's extensive network of high-profile associates, including former US President Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew, billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and numerous other celebrities and business leaders.
Trump also personally knew the convicted sex trafficker but denied ever visiting his private island and maintains that he cut ties with him in the 1990s – years before Epstein’s first arrest for soliciting prostitution in 2006....
Pete Hegseth is conducting a poll among the public about renaming the agency he heads as the Department of War
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has mooted the possibility of renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War. The defense chief is conducting a poll among the public about the potential switch.
“Better name? Have my thoughts… welcome yours,” Hegseth posted on X, sharing the poll.
The poll has attracted over 160,000 users, with more than half favoring the idea of a new name for the Department of Defens...moree. Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk shared the poll, commenting: “War is more accurate.”
Better name? Have my thoughts…welcome yours. #PeoplesPentagon— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 22, 2025
The agency in charge of the army military affairs was in fact called the Department of War for nearly 160 years. However, in 1947, it was reorganized and merged with the Department of the Navy under the National Security Act. Two years later, the Department of Defense (DOD) was created, absorbing the functions of the eliminated agency.
Read more
US bombs Yemen: As it happened
Earlier this month, Hegseth stated that Washington was prepared to go to war with China if necessary. His comment came in response to Beijing’s threat of tariff retaliation as part of the renewed trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
This week, the New York Times, citing unnamed US officials, claimed that Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), would be briefed on a military blueprint “for any war that might break out with China.” The Wall Street Journal followed with a report stating that a China war plan would be “one of several topics” discussed during the billionaire’s visit to the Pentagon. The news outlet alleged that the meeting could have given Musk, as the head of Tesla, which relies on China for car production, and SpaceX, access to sensitive military secrets unavailable to business competitors.
READ MORE: Trump slams NYT for ‘ridiculous’ Musk ‘fake news’
Hegseth took to X to deny the media reports, dismissing them as “fake news.” The defense chief stressed that the meeting was focused on “innovation, efficiencies, and smarter production.”
US President Donald Trump has dismissed the allegations as “completely untrue.” He accused the “discredited media” of “making up lies” and emphasized that China was neither mentioned nor discussed during the meeting.
According to a Congressional Research Service report, between 1798 and 2023, the US engaged in “hundreds of instances” where military forces were deployed abroad for armed conflict or potential conflict to “protect” its citizens or “promote” its interests. In the 21st century, such instances include major conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, along with military operations in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. Washington has formally declared war against foreign nations 11 times in its history....
Access for these individuals to classified information is no longer in the national interest, the US president has said
US President Donald Trump has revoked the security clearances of his former Democratic election rivals Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, as well as of several officials from the previous administration of Joe Biden and members of the former president's family.
The memorandum, released on Friday, follows Trump’s announcement in February that he is “immediately” rescinding Biden’s access to classified da...moreta and stopping the former president’s daily intelligence briefings.
The document formalizes the revocation of the security clearance for Biden, the members of his family, and several other former officials, who had previously been mentioned by the White House in this context.
Among the more than dozen people affected by the measure are former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and two former Republican representatives who were on the House committee investigating Trump’s alleged role in the January 6 Capitol events, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.
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Trump said in the memorandum that he has “determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information.”
According to the president, he has told the heads of government agencies to take all necessary actions “to revoke any active security clearances held by the aforementioned individuals and to immediately rescind their access to classified information.”
This means that, among other things, Biden, Harris, Clinton and the others will not be able to obtain classified briefings – such as the President’s Daily Brief – or access classified information held by any member of the US intelligence community, the document explained.
They will also be barred from “unescorted access” to secure US government facilities, it added.
READ MORE: Biden planning political comeback – NBC
Some American news outlets have described the move as an attack by the president on his political opponents.
When announcing his decision to revoke Biden’s security clearance last month, Trump referenced the 2024 report by Special Counsel Robert Hur saying it had revealed that the former president suffers from “poor memory” and, even in his “prime,” could not be trusted with sensitive information.
NBC News reported on Friday that 82-year-old Biden, who had to withdraw from the race for the White House last year amid public concerns over his fitness to hold the office, told top Democrats that he is ready to raise funds, campaign, and do whatever is needed to help the party regain the ground lost to the Republicans during his term....
The president has denounced mass protests over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at mass protests which have swept the country over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption and terrorist charges, accusing the demonstrators of vandalism and “street terrorism.”
Imamoglu, a key figure in the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) who is widely viewed as Erdogan’s main political rival, was detained by the Turkish authorities on allegations o...moref leading a criminal organization, accepting bribes, and aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
The next presidential election, in which Imamoglu was widely expected to run, is officially scheduled for 2028. Since Erdogan has reached his two-term limit as president, he will have to call an early election or change the constitution in order to run.
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In response to the mayor’s arrest, tens of thousands of people took to the streets, with violent clashes ensuing between demonstrators and police. The authorities also imposed a temporary ban on public gatherings and restricted access to social media.
On Friday, Erdogan weighed in on the protests, stating that “Türkiye will not surrender to street terrorism,” while urging Ozgur Ozel, the head of the CHP, “to act responsibly and not to provoke youngsters.”
“The CHP is about to lose its status as a legitimate party due to mounting corruption, problematic rhetoric and links to marginal groups,” Erdogan warned.
READ MORE: Will Türkiye’s mortal ‘enemy within’ lay down arms after a century of conflict?
The same day, Ozel said he was inviting “tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions to peacefully demonstrate, express our democratic reaction, and exercise our constitutional rights.”
According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the authorities detained a total of 343 protesters overnight throughout Türkiye during the unrest. He also stressed that officials would not tolerate disruptions to public order or threats to national peace....
Kirsty Coventry has pledged to open talks on Russia’s potential return to the Games
Incoming International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry has said she does not support banning athletes from the Olympics based on their countries’ involvement in armed conflicts. In an interview to Sky News on Friday, she also announced plans to initiate discussions about Russia’s return to competition.
Russian and Belarusian athletes were prohibited from competing in the Games shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in ...moreFebruary 2022. The IOC also insisted that international sports federations follow suit, leading to both countries being excluded from major global sporting events. The committee later allowed some athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the Games as individuals under neutral flags, including at the Paris Olympics in 2024, while national teams have remained barred.
When asked by Sky News a day after being elected to the post whether she opposed banning nations from the Olympics due to military conflicts, Coventry said: “I am, but I believe each situation must be considered individually.”
Coventry, who is now set to become the first woman and the first African to head the IOC, also pledged to establish a task force to develop “some policies and some guiding frameworks that we as the movement can use to make decisions when we are brought into conflicts.”
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The former Olympic swimmer, who won two gold medals for Zimbabwe, admitted that there are “horrific conflicts in Africa at the moment,” highlighting the necessity to protect and support athletes, ensuring they have the opportunity to come to the Olympic Games.
Asked about allowing the Russian national team to return to the Olympics in 2026, Coventry said: “We’re going to have that discussion with a collective group, as I’d said, with the task force.”
Coventry was elected as the 10th president of the IOC on Thursday, having secured a majority of the vote. The 41-year-old came ahead of Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. and Britain’s Sebastian Coe, who finished second and third in the voting, respectively.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Coventry on her IOC election, saying that her “experience and dedication to the true advancement of the noble Olympic ideals will ensure your success in such a responsible position.”
Russian officials have repeatedly slammed Western nations for politicizing international sports and exerting pressure on sports federations to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes for political reasons....
The F-47 is “something the likes of which nobody has seen before,” the US president has said
US President Donald Trump has said he has awarded Boeing the contract to build the Air Force’s next-generation fighter jet.
The state-of-the-art aircraft will be named the F-47, Trump, the 47th US president, announced at the Oval Office on Friday.
“At my direction, the US Air Force is moving forward with the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet, number six, sixth generation, nothing in the world comes even close to it,” he ...moresaid.
According to the president, the jet has been in the works “for a long period of time” and “will be the most lethal aircraft ever built.”
The program was previously known as Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), with the Air Force acknowledging that it had flown a full-scale prototype of the jet during Trump’s first presidency.
The F-47 “flies with drones. It flies with many, many drones, as many as you want. It is a technology that is new, but it does not fly by itself. It flies with many drones, as many as you want, and that is something that no other plane can do,” Trump said.
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“After a rigorous and thorough competition between some of America’s top aerospace companies, the Air Force is going to be awarding the contract for the next generation air dominance platform to Boeing,” he announced.
Boeing beat Lockheed Martin for the deal. After the announcement, Boeing shares rose by 5%, while Lockheed’s fell by nearly 7%.
The F-47 is intended to replace the F-22 Raptor, a crewed aircraft designed to enter combat alongside drones, which is produced by Lockheed.
“We have given an order for a lot [of F-47s]. We cannot tell you the price,” Trump said.
Earlier this month, Lockheed Martin was also eliminated from the competition to build the US Navy’s next-generation carrier-based stealth fighter jet, amid the Pentagon’s discontent with delays in upgrading its F-35s, according to Reuters.
Boeing has also been under fire in recent years due to flaws discovered in its aircraft, leading to safety concerns and investigations. The company’s defense and space projects have been troubled by repeated cost overruns and delays. It has also faced a prolonged workers’ strike over insufficient wage increases.
READ MORE: Trump says he’s serious about Canada
Last month, Trump slammed Boeing for the cost overruns and delays with the production of the next presidential plane. “We are getting a new Air Force One, if Boeing could ever finish the damn thing,” he said....
Both the US and Russia have questioned the legitimacy of Vladimir Zelensky whose presidential term expired last year
Ukraine will hold a presidential election, US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has told journalist Tucker Carlson.
Vladimir Zelensky’s five-year presidential term expired in May 2024, after which he refused to call new elections, citing martial law. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he no longer considers Zelensky a legitimate ruler and argued that his current status could be an o...morebstacle to signing a definitive peace.
In February, Trump labeled Zelensky “a dictator without elections” and claimed that he was deeply unpopular at home.
In an interview published on Friday evening, Carlson asked Witkoff, one of Trump’s main mediators between Kiev and Moscow, if he thought that Ukraine would hold elections.
Read more
Zelensky in political ‘final act’ – FT
“Yes. They’ve agreed to it. There will be elections in Ukraine,” the envoy replied. He argued that Zelensky was “in a very difficult position,” given that Russia has a much larger population and nuclear weapons.
“He’s got to know that he’s going to get ground down. Now is the best time for him to get a deal done. President Trump can deliver him the best possible deal,” Witkoff said. He stressed that any aid would become “unsustainable” unless there is a clear plan on how to resolve the conflict. “We just can’t forever give money,” he said.
Politico magazine reported earlier this month that members of the Trump team were in communication with Zelensky’s political rivals, former President Pyotr Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko. Both politicians confirmed talks with the Trump administration but spoke out against holding elections until the conflict with Russia is resolved....
